Engine starting mechanism



`A plfl 25, 1950k D, MILLER 2,505,334

ENGINE STARTING MECHANISM Filed Feb. 15, 1946 t ToRNEY f 1 Patented Apr. 25 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,505,334 ENGINE STARTING MECHANISM Delaware Application February 15, 1946, serial Nu. 64.13828 (ci. ils-'1) 4 Claims.

! vThe present invention relates te an engine starting mechanism and more partcu'larlytovthat 'type of' starter dri-ve which maintains its operative engagement with the engine until reliable selfoperation thereof is secured, y:

It is an object of the present inventio-nto provide a novel engine starter mechanism oi the above type which is simple and easy to assemble and install.

It is a furtherl object to provide such a; devl i includingV a locking mechanism for prolonging the engagement of the engine engaging member with 'the engine until the operator acts to terminate the cranking operation.

itis-Ra further jobiect to provide such a device havin-g a plunger controlied by the starting switch and bearing on the starter drive during cran-king, with means on the drive cooperating with the plunger to lock the engine engaging member in operative position.

Further objects and advantages will be apparent to those skilled in this art by referenceto the following specicationand' the accompanying drawing', in which:

'Fig i is a side elevation partiy in section cfa preferred form of the present invention, shown in f idle or disengaged position;

Fig; 2 is an ena view of the drive from the left in- Fig. 1*;

' Fig.v 3 is a view similar to Fig. 1 showing the 'l 'starter drive in operative position; and

Fig. 4 is a section taken substantially on the line 4 4 oi Fig. 31

In Fig. 1 of the drawing, there* is shown a power shaft I which may be the extended armature shaft of a starting motor net illustrated, having a shoulder 2I and' a pair of thrust washers 3 placed.

blpclnof any suitable material suchxa rubber is seated on Vthe control nut against b In order to assist in excluding nudes abl'eforeign flange 9.

material from the threads of the 'sijelwfshaft and control nut, va thimble I4 having iiara'dial surface I5 is telescoped over the ycontrol nut 8K.'

. An engine driving member in t pinion I6 is slidably journalled o shaft I in position to engage and dr l member such as a gear I1, and means are provided for driving the pinion I6 from the control nut 8' including the yielding driving member f3 and` an overrunnng clutch f8. Clutch i8 comprises a driving clutch plate I9 rotatably mounted on shafti and' fixed to thimble I4 by any suitable means such as welding as indicated at 20, and a driven plate 2l which is non-rotatably mounted on the rear of pinion I6 by lugs 22 and held thereon by a lock wire 23. Clutch plate 2l is held in engagement with lclutch platey I9 by a dlshed spring 214 bearing at its inner edge against the plate 2`I and at its outer edge against a clutch housing member 25. vA casing member or barrel 26 having a narrow flange 2l at its rear end bearing against the shoulder Ill of' control nut 8' encloses the resilient member I3 and uni-'ties the clutch parts; For this purpose, the outer edges of the thmble ange- I 5, plate I 9 and clutch housing member 25 are Xedly` clamped in a recess 28 at the forward end of the barrel 26l by suitable means such as crimping -as indicated at 251.

Accord-ing to the present invention, means are provided for looking the pinion 4It in mesh with the engine gear' I 'I as long as' the starting switch is closed, thisI means being in the form of a normally inoperative latching device and a plunger actuated by a magnetic starting switch to render thev latchoperative. The starting switch indicated generally by numeral 30 isv controlled by a circuit comprising a battery 3i' grounded at 32 and connected by lead 33 through a manual switch 34 to the switch solenoid 35 which is grounded .at 36 to complete the control circuit.

, Closure of the control circuit energzes the sole- `noid which pulls down the core 4i causing the 'engagement of bridging contact 3T with contacts 38 and 39 to complete a cranking circuit there- Vthrough to the starting motor SM which is grounded at 40. The solenoid core 4f has an extension 42 slidably mounted thereon and carrying on its lower' end a roller 43 in close proximity to the' casing 26, the arrangement being such thatl when the starting switch 30 isy closed the roller bears rmly on the periphery of the casing.

A lnormally inoperative fia-tch ring member 44 isv attached to the rear iaceof' the radial flange 9 by any suitable means1 such as studs 45, 46 and 41 anchored in the control nut 8. The latch` 44 is biased to inoperative position by springs 48, 49

' seated lv'vil'hin elongated slots 5G and 5|r '1n the latch. A cylindrical extension 52 is provided on latch 44 on which a loose contact ring 5.3 is slidably journalled. The bore 54 of the latch is eccentric with reference to the outside diameter thereof and a spur 55 is formed therein to cooperate with a notch I56 in the exterior of the screw shaft in position to engage and lock the pinion I5 in mesh with the engine gear I1 when the outer periphery of the latch is concentric with the axis of shaft I. The latch member 44 is preferably so designed as to its center of gravity that rotation of the latch causes it to be held in engaged position by centrifugal force, as best shown in Fig. 4.

In operation, closure of the manual switch 34 causes actuation of the solenoid switch 30 to move the roller 43 into iirm engagement with the casing 25. Simultaneously, the motor SM rotates the power shaft I and the screw shaft 4 to traverse the pinion I6 and its associated parts into engaged position against the thrust washers 3. During the traversal of the casing 426, the roller 43 rides up over the loose control ring 53 and the pressure imparted by the solenoid 30 through the plunger spring 58 to the latch 44 causes it to move into concentric position against the resistance of springs 48 and 49 so as to engage the spur 55 of the latch in the notch 56 in the screw shaft. When the engine starts, the pinion I6 is accelerated to a high speed but cannot demesh from the engine' gear as long as the manual switch 34 is closed, since the latch prevents retraction of the control nut 8 further than the distance necessary to permit overrunning of the clutch I8. In this way, the pinion I6 is maintained substantially in full mesh with the yflywheel I'I even though the engine impulses are sporadic or isolated. At this time, the centrifugal effect on the eccentric mass 51 of the latch 44 aids the plunger 4I in holding the latch in locking position so as to seat the spur 55 in the notch 56. As soon as the operator opens the switch 34, the cranking circuit through the switch 31, 38,

39 is opened thus deenergizing the starting motor, and raising the plunger 4I. When the shaft I has slowed down sufficiently, the springs 48, 49

Aovercome the effect of centrifugal force on the .latch 44 and move it into disengaged position.

'Ihe pinion and its associated parts are then free @to move back to idle position under the inuence ofthe overrunning torque transmitted from the pinion through the clutch I 8 and the yielding coupling member I3 to the control nut 8.

During the cranking operation, the elastic couplingl block I3 is compressed between the iiange 9 ,Y of control nut 8 and the ange I5 of thimble I4 as shown in Fig. 3. The consequent telescoping movement of the latch member 44 within the bar-y rel 25 makes it desirable to form the latch memf ber in two parts, the portion formed by the contact ring 53 having a sliding bearing onvthe extension 52 of the inner portion, and the two parts l'being connected by the light compression spring 60. The term latch member as used in the appended claims is accordingly intended to apply to the composite member 44, 53 as described.

Although but one embodiment of the invention Y has been shown and described in detail, it will be understood that other forms of the invention are What is claimed is: 1. In an engine starter drive, a power shaft, a

pinion slidably journalled thereon for movement into and out of mesh with a gear of an engine to be started, means for traversing and rotating the pinion including a control member having an inclined connection with the power shaft, a latch member mounted to rotate with the control member and movable into position to prevent demeshing movement of the piniomyielding means normally holdingthe latch member in inoperative position, an electro-magnetic starting switch including a movable plunger and means actuated by said plunger upon closure of the starting switch for engaging and moving the latch member into operativeposition.

l nal movement into and out of mesh with a gear of an engine to be started, means actuated by the shaft for traversing and rotating the pinion including an overrunning clutch, a circular latch member mounted for rotation on the shaft and for radial movement thereon into and out of operative position, means cooperating with the latch member for holding the pinion in mesh with the engine gear when the latch member is concentric with the shaft, yielding means normally moving the latch member into eccentric released position, a starting switch including a movable plunger, and means yieldably mounted on said plunger movable by closure of theswitch into engagement with the periphery of the latch member so as to centralize the latch member with respect to the drive, and maintain it in operative position during actuation of the drive.

3. An engine starter drive as set forth in claim 2 in which the latch member is so formed that centrifugal force holds it in operative position during high speed rotation of the drive.

4. In an engine starter drive, a power shaft, a pinion slidably journalled thereon for movement into and out of mesh with a gear of an engine to be started, means for traversing and rotating the pinion including a control member having an inclined connection with the power shaft, a latch member mountedto rotate with the control member and movable into position to prevent demeshing movement of thepinion, yielding means vnormally holding the latch member in inoperative position, means for actuating the power shaft including a` manually-controlled electro-magnetic starting switch having a movable plunger.

means movable into engagement with the latch member and cooperating therewith on rotation of the drive to overcome said yielding means and move the latch member into operative position, and means actuated by said plunger upon closure of the starting switch for causing the en- -gagement of said movable means with the latch member.

DONALD L. MILLER.

REFERENCES CITED rlhe foliowing references are of record 'in the file of this patent:

u, pmTEDsTA'rES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,332,055 Buxton Oct. 19, 1943 2,394,690 HOodh- Feb. 12, 1946 

